“How much energy do our computers really cost/consume?”

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the average personal computer costs approximately 2.5 cents per hour while running idle. Multiplying this 2.5 cent figure times a few hundred PC’s left on over a few days and the cost savings are quite excessive. Our average client (500 PC’s) saves over $18,000 a year by using the Green Shutdown service.

“How do we know if our computers are left on?”

Most organizations ask their computer users to shut their computers down before leave for the day but the fact of the matter is a fair amount of PC’s are left on. Even PC’s that are running in “sleep” or “standby” mode are consuming energy. Our research has shown an average of 28% of PC’s are left on over nights & weekends while not in use.


“Is “sleep” or ‘standby’ mode the same as turning them off?”

Setting your PC to go into “sleep” or “standby” mode is a great start to conserving energy however it still is not as effective as turning them off. A computer in standby or sleep mode still consumes 30% of the energy it would be using if it were idling at a normal level. In addition, all of moving parts inside the unit are still moving which in time can take a toll and increase the risk of failure.


“Are there other advantages to turning our computers off?”

The benefit of powering off your computers is not limited to just saving energy and money.
Many of today’s computers still consist of moving parts such and hard drives & cooling fans. The less abuse these moving parts take, the longer of a life they’ll have. In short, the less time your computers are on, the longer it will “last.”
Idling computers produce a fair amount of heat, especially when clustered together, as they would be in a lab environment. Turning them off reduces building cooling loads significantly.
A computer in left in a powered on state is more susceptible to viral attacks then a computer which is turned off.
Computers which are powered off are less likely to be effected by power surges.

Forgetful users can accidently leave computers running with critical information left up on their screen for others to see. Powering off a machine safely closes any open applications and leaves to prevent wandering eyes from seeing private information.